Three of those killed by an Israeli airstrike were British and the others were Australian, Palestinian, Polish and a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada.
Governments and people around the world have been expressing sorrow and anger over the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers by Israeli airstrikes as they were trying to deliver food to Palestinians in Gaza.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “appalled” by the deaths of the aid workers — three of whom were from the United Kingdom.
World Central Kitchen, the food charity founded by chef José Andrés to help feed people in disaster zones, has identified the three Britons and the other volunteers who were Australian, Palestinian, Polish and a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.
Israel’s blockade and six-month bombardment of Gaza has fueled a growing hunger crisis in the territory, with northern Gaza facing imminent famine, international aid groups and U.N. experts say. Israeli officials have denied restricting aid and called reports of a looming famine “a complete lie.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack on the aid workers was unintentional. And in a message Tuesday, the Israeli military offered condolences to World Central Kitchen and praised the group for bringing humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, as well as Israel after the Oct. 7 attack, saying it would make public the findings of its investigation into the case.
On Wednesday, the bodies of the six foreigners were sent out of Gaza into Egypt on their way to their home countries, The Associated Press reported. The Palestinian’s remains were handed over to his family to be buried in Gaza.
They were some of the 196 humanitarian workers killed in Palestinian territories since October, according to the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in the region.
These are the identities of the seven World Central Kitchen workers who died.
Australian aid worker Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom, 43, a relief lead for World Central Kitchen, died “doing the work she loves,” her family said in a statement to media.
She had helped people during brush fires in her native Australia, supported the Navajo Nation during the COVID-19 pandemic and fed Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion.
